Six presumed dead after ship collides with Baltimore bridge

It's been more than 18 hours since a massive cargo ship crashed into Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, and the US Coast Guard has just given an update to say those who were missing are now presumed dead.

• Rescue teams, including FBI divers, had been trying to find six construction workers who were filling potholes when the collision happened
• But with low water temperatures and the length of time they've been missing, those people are presumed to have died, the US Coast Guard says
• Coast Guard will transition from a search and rescue mission to a recovery mission
• The Coast Guard will try to find all victims to bring closure to families, a spokesperson said
• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says the incident could cause "major and protracted" supply chain issues
• President Joe Biden has said the government will foot the entire bill to repair the bridge, a key US shipping port
• The crash happened about two minutes after a mayday call from the pilot of the Dali cargo ship, saying the vessel lost power

It's a "distinct" possibility that other cars with people inside, besides the six missing construction workers, also fell into the water before officials could stop traffic, a Coast Guard official says. But they added that there was not enough evidence yet to know for sure.

The official says they will try their best to locate all victims to bring closure to the families.

The search was suspended at 19:30 local time (23:30 GMT).

US Coast Guard officials are explaining why recovery efforts are so difficult for divers.

The water temperature as well as debris from the bridge floating in the water all make recovery extremely challenging, one official says.

"We do not want to injure any of these first responders in this recovery effort," the official says.

He says the jagged debris could easily puncture a diver's airline, and structural engineers would be brought in to help them understand how to navigate the twisted metal of the bridge.

Six construction workers who working on potholes on the bridge are believed to have fallen in the water when the ship hit the bridge.

Two of those people are from Guatemala, according to the country's consulate in Maryland.

The National Association for Pilot Profession has provided some more details on the ship that crashed into the Baltimore bridge.

The association says the ship lost full power, with no lights, no electronics and no engine propulsion, making it essentially a "dead ship" within 20 to 30 seconds.

The group says lights came back on in the ship thanks to an emergency generator, but that doesn't give the engine power. Video shows lights flicker back on briefly before the vessel hits the bridge.

Black smoke that billowed from the ship around this time was likely an emergency diesel generator kicking in, the pilot group says.

The leading association of British exporters and importers says the Baltimore bridge crash will have a “significant ripple effect on supply chains".

Marco Forgioine, Director General at The Institute of Export & International, told BBC's The World Tonight that more than 750,000 vehicles crossed through the Baltimore port in the past year.

This includes cars from General Motors, Ford Fiat and Audi.

He says Baltimore is also a significant exporter of liquified natural gas, which could have implications for the UK.

The effects will "cascade before we’re able to get Baltimore back up and running again", Forgioine says.

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Sunset is about half an hour away in Baltimore, after which the search efforts for six construction workers will likely be reduced because of visibility.

They have been missing since 01:00 ET (05:00 GMT).

Representative David Trone of Maryland told the BBC's US partner CBS News that after Tuesday, officials will shift their focus to a recovery effort conducted by underwater drones.

He said the drones will be able to find the cars, and that officials have located one vehicle in particular that likely has casualties inside.

The BBC just spoke with Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, who described the bridge collapse as an "horrific event" for the country.

"The Port of Baltimore is basically shut down. The channel is blocked. The bridge is down. Traffic is terrible. The impact on our economy is going to be immense," he said.

Supply chains will be interrupted as well as local businesses, he added.

Commuters will also feel an impact, as the bridge helped connect vital roads from the north and south, he said.

“Make no mistake about it, this is going to have a lasting impact," the senator said.

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The FBI says specialised teams are at the scene of the crash searching the waters of the lower Patapsco River.

FBI divers are using robotic cameras to search for victims, a law enforcement official told the BBC's US partner CBS News. A law enforcement source said FBI divers are on rescue and recovery boats.

It's unclear whether they are actually in the water because of jagged debris from the incident, the official said.

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The BBC's US partner CBS News is now reporting a vehicle has been found underwater in the search, and it has been identified as a construction vehicle used by the workers who were on the bridge when it collapsed.

Some of the workers were believed to be inside the vehicle when the ship collided with the bridge.

The search and rescue team have so far been unable to access the site to check inside because the area is still too unstable.

Guatemala's consulate in Maryland says two of the workers who are still missing are from Guatemala.

The consulate says it is on site to assist families.

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We've just heard from Ako Walker, a church leader who has been working with the families of the missing and offering his support. Just minutes ago, he delivered a brief sermon in Spanish.

Speaking to reporters, Walker said that the families are "just waiting" for an update.

He said that they expect the Coast Guard to give an update at 18:00 local time.

"Six of them are Hispanic," he said, adding that the impact would be felt throughout the Spanish-speaking community in particular.

"It's been difficult for them," he said. "There have been a lot of tears."

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The vigil is now underway, with a few dozen people in attendance.

It's a diverse crowd - black, white and Latino - representative of this close-knit Baltimore community.

Sitting next to the pulpit are civic leaders, pastors and local officials.

A Muslim Imam is sitting up on the stage as well.

The church is filling up even as the event begins.

"We need a lot of prayer. This tragedy is unthinkable," Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott says.

"But I know that in Baltimore... we come together."

Scott also calls on the entire community to support the families of those still missing.

"We have to focus on those who are the most directly impacted," he says to applause.

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I'm now at Mount Olive, a church not far from the site of the bridge. If it weren't for a large concrete wall on the highway, I would be able to see the collapsed bridge from the church steps.

People are streaming into the church, including members of the community and Maryland officials.

Among them is Susana Vargas, a local migrant's advocate who says she came to show her support after hearing that the victims were members of the community's significant population of Latin American workers.

According to local outlet the Baltimore Banner, the six missing men are from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

"Many Latinos and migrants live in this area. They work in construction, and in restaurants," Vargas tells me in Spanish.

Every time there is a tragedy, it's immigrants," she added. "Mostly Latinos. We are the ones that do this sort of work."

Mexican consular officials tell the BBC they can't confirm that its citizens are among the missing, citing the ongoing search.

The pilot steering the Dali made a mayday call to authorities roughly two minutes before the ship collided with the bridge, Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski has said.

We also have some new details about what happened onboard, with BBC's US partner CBS News saying multiple officials confirmed the Dali crew had tried to drop an anchor to stop the ship.

It's not clear if they were able to successfully deploy the anchor.

For those wondering why tug boats were not guiding the Dali, it's because tugs are not required to escort ships under the bridge.

They are used mainly to get ships in and out of the docking station in the Port of Baltimore.

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The container ship that collided with the bridge this morning is nearly as big three American football fields, at 985 feet (300 meters) long.

The cargo vessel, called the Dali, was built in 2015 and sails under the flag of Singapore. It can carry 10,000 shipping containers (standard 20 foot units). It was carrying 4,679 units.

The ship - which was destined for Sri Lanka - is owned by Grace Ocean Investment and operated by Synergy Group.

The vessel, which was carrying Maersk cargo containers, had two pilots on board at the time of the crash, according to Grace Ocean. One of the pilots was reportedly an apprentice.

There were also 22 crew members on the ship, the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement.

Synergy Marine said the 22-person crew are from India and there are no reports of injuries.

The Indian Embassy in Washington DC has set up a hotline for any citizens involved, which has been shared on social media here.

Maxar has recently released satellite images that show an overhead of the ship's collision with Key Bridge in Baltimore.

MaxarCopyright: Maxar

MaxarCopyright: Maxar

MaxarCopyright: Maxar

A reporter asked the transportation secretary how long the port of Baltimore might be closed.

He does not give a direct timeline, but says there will be a "major and protracted impact to supply chains" because of the importance of the Baltimore port.

And with that, the media update has finished.